Naomi Osaka has made it to the semi-finals of the US Open after a straight-sets win against Karolina Muchova. The Japanese player, seeded 23rd, beat the Czech 11th seed 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in just under two hours.
This is Osaka’s best performance at a major tournament since she won the Australian Open in 2021. She has shown strong form throughout the competition, also beating third seed Coco Gauff in an earlier round.
After taking a break from tennis in 2023 to have her daughter, Osaka said she is grateful to be back and playing well again. “It means so much to be here. I used to watch matches and hope I’d get the chance to play on this court again,” she said after the match.
The first set was close, but Osaka managed to break serve at just the right time to take the lead. Muchova had a medical break before the second set and came back with her leg strapped, but continued to play strongly. She even went 5-4 up, but Osaka fought back and took control in the tie-break to win the match.
Osaka will now face eighth seed Amanda Anisimova in the semi-finals on Thursday.
